Great Falls man arrested again hours after conviction at trial

A Great Falls man convicted Monday of assaulting his son at the Montana State Fair was arrested on warrant Monday night for allegedly violating the conditions of his release when police reportedly found him in the assault victim's home.

Jason Joseph Marko was convicted at the end of a one-day trial on Monday of assault on a minor, a felony.

Charging documents alleged he punched his son in the face and put him in a chokehold in the pony barns at the Montana Expo Park on July 28. The boy said the assault happened after his father asked him to water the ponies, but the boy referred the chore to his brother. Six family members said they saw the incidents and provided law enforcement with written statements.

After he was arrested last summer, Marko posted a $10,000 bond and was released under the condition he remain outside the family's home and have no contact with the witnesses or victim in the case.

Around 6 p.m. on Monday, hours after a jury found him guilty of the charge, a Cascade County sheriff's deputy arrived at the family's home to conduct a welfare check. He spoke with Lisa Marko, who denied that Marko was living at the home, according to court documents filed Tuesday.

She let the deputy inside the home, where he indeed found Marko and placed him under arrest, according to court documents.

While the witness and victim in the case were unharmed, deputies are investigating potential obstructing justice charges, as both lied to deputies and claimed Marko was not inside the home, court documents state.

Prosecutors have requested Marko's $10,000 bond be reinstated. His sentencing date has not yet been set.